New York is taking another stab at adopting a single-payer healthcare system, and the effort includes coverage for long-term care.
Last week, Rep. Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan) reintroduced the New York Health Act, which along with skilled nursing care would cover physician, hospital and pharmaceutical services. Some healthcare and business groups have voiced their opposition, Crain’s New York Business reported.
“What’s to stop hundreds of thousands of people from turning to New York to take advantage of the benefit after not contributing to it?” said Lev Ginsburg, director of government affairs at the Business Council of New York State. “We simply don’t buy the idea that it would be much cheaper for your average employer.”
The revenue to fund the bill likely would involve a progressive tax on some income, such as dividends and capital gains. A previous analysis by the Rand Corp. estimated that adding long-term care benefits would increase costs to the state by upward of $22 billion. That would amount to a total cost of about $139 billion in 2022, more than the state’s entire budget, Crain’s reported earlier this week.
New York officials hope to begin debate on the bill after the state passes its budget in the spring. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma has said previously that she would deny waivers to states seeking to adopt single-payer systems, but Gottfried has insisted this effort could move forward with or without federal help.
